Steady rest



Patented Sept. 24, 1929 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JAMES HOOGERHYDE, OF BELMONT, MICHIGAN, ASSIGNOR TO IMPERIAL METAL PRODUCTS COMPANY, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION F MICHI- GAN Reie for abandoned application Serial No. 165,110, filed February 1, 1927. This application filed June 11, 1928. Serial No. 284,558.

This invention relates to improvements in steady rests for lathes and more particularly to steady rests for automatic wood turning lathes. Although the invention may be used on any type of wood turning lathe it is particularly adapted for use on automatic wood turning lathes such as shown in my Patent No, 1,546,447, issued July 21, 1925, wherein the article to be turned is brought against a lo series of knives which operate simultaneously on its entire length and the steady rest is for the purpose of supporting thecentral part of members, such as long slim spindles, which otherwise would tend to break from the strain put upon them. f

The device is self aligning and self gripping and adapted to be readily applied to and removed from the piece to be turned so that no objectionable delay in production will result from its use. The device is simple in constructon and operation and may be readily mounted upon the bedof any wood turning lathe.

The invention is hereinafter more fully de-v scribed and particularly pointed out in the claims, reference being had to. the accompanying drawing, in which,

Fig. 1 is a front elevation of a portion of a wood turning lathe showing the piece to be turned with a center rest embodying this invention in operative position thereon.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged side elevation of the steady rest with parts broken away, and

Fig. 3 is a transverse section of the same on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2.

Like numbers refer to like parts in all of the figures of the drawing.

1 represents a part of the frame of the lathe, in the present instance being lshown as the swinging frame of the automatic machine above referred' to. This frame carries the head stock 2 in which the driving spindle 3 is journaled and also thetail stock 4 which has the tail spindle 5 mounted thereon. The piece 6 to be turned is carried by and between the head and tail spindles 3 and 5. This piece is usually provided and inserted in the machine in the shape of a long square stick and often the design of the finished piece provides a square portion 7 neer its middle which is left in the original shape of the stick and it is at this square middle portion that the steady rest is located and adapted to grip the piece while it is being operated upon by the knives at both sides of the steady rest.

The steady rest comprises a base 8 adapted to be clamped to the frame or bed 1 of the machine by a bolt 9 and an arm 10 extending upwardly from the base 8 carries a divided annular bearing comprising the semicircula-r members 11 and 12. The annular bearing is divided at its diameter, the lower half 11 being carried by the arm 10 and the upper half 12 being hinged at 13 to the lower half. A handle 14 is attached to the upper half 12 whereby it may be manually opened and closed and an adjustable stop screw 15 in the lower half 11 engages the swinging end of the upper half 12 and limits its movement in the closing direction.

The clamping member of the steady restwhich is placed upon and grips the stick and runs in the annular bearing 11 and 12 comprises two spaced apart disks 16 between which is located the ring 17, the outer diameter of which is slightly less than'that of the disks 16, said disks overlapping the ring. The disks are provided withsquare holes through their centers and they are clamped against the respective sides of the ring 17 by four bolts 18 located near the corners of the square holes, the said bolts also acting as pivots for the clamping fingers 19 located between ,the disks.

The clamping fingers 19, four of which are provided, one to engage each side of the square portion 7 of the piece 6, are located between the disks 16 and extend along each respective side ofthe square holes therein, ex-V tending in the direction of rotation from their respective pivot bolts 18. These clamping fingers are normally retracted or moved away from thecenter and toward the ring 17 by springs 2O and cani rollers 21 mounted on the inner side of the ring 17 one being provided for each finger 19,.engage the respective back surfaces of the lingers. The disks 16 are clamped by the pivot bolts 18 against the ring 17 sufficiently tight to cause friction therebetween but not'tight enough to prevent 100 rotation of the ring relative to the disks and such rotation moves the caml rollers 21 upon the back faces of the lingers 19 causing them to swing inward toward the center simultaneously to grip the square portion 7 of the stick which is inserted through the square holes in the disks.

The clamping device is adapted to be received by the annular bearing 11 and 12 and to turn therein, the ring 17 being the bearing member which runs on the inner surfaces of the annular members. Longitudinal -movement of the gripping member is prevented by engagement of the overlapping edges ot the disks 16 with the sides of the bearing members 11 and 12, or, as in the construction illus trated, the overlapping edges run in annular rabbet grooves 22 provided in said bearing members. Frictional resistance to the rotation of the ring 17 may be obtained by'pressure upon the handle 14C which moves the swinging member 12 against 'the ring but such irictional resistance is prevented from becoming great enough to stop or materially impede rotation of the ring by the stop screw 15. Y

In operation the swinging member 12 is raised by the handle 111 and the clamp member removed from the bearing and placed upon the square stick 6 before it is turned, by inserting the stick through the square holes in the ldisks 16, the lingers 19 `being retracted so that this may be accomplished. The stick is then located between the head rand tail spindles 3 and'5 of the lathe and the clamping member located in the annular bearing 11 and 12 and the swinging member closed upon the ring 17. When the lathe and stick are started to rotate the disks 16 will also be caused to rotate because the size of the squared portion 7 will not permit its rotation in the square holes of the disk, and slight resistance to rotation of the ring 17 by bearing upon the handle 14 and causing the member 12 to frictionally engage it will impede its rotation and cause it to move relative to the disks 16 'and the Llingers 19 which are pivoted thereto. This movement causes the cam rollers 21 to move against the back surfaces of the fingers 19 and thrustthem toward the center and against the respective surfaces oil the square portion7 of the stick and grip it firmly. After this has,beenaccomplished the whole clamping member including the disks, ring and fingers will rotate with the stick, the member being journaled in the annular bearing 11 and 12 which guides and steadies it and supports the central portion of the stick. Upon completion of the turning operation the handle 14 and the swinging member 12 are raised to release the clamping member and the stick is then removed from the lathe and the clamping member is released from the stick by rotating the ring 17 backward relative to the disks 16 which retracts the clamping fingers 19. The'clamping member is then removed from the stick and placed upon another for the next operation.

I claim:

1. A steady rest comprising an annular bearing, a two part clamping member rotatable in said bearing and having an opening to receive the piece to be steadied, means for ,imf peding rotation of one part of said clamping member in the bearing, and means on the other partof said clamping member actuated by impedance to the rotation of said first part for clamping the piece therein.

2. A steady rest comprising an annular bearing, a clamping member rotatable in se 'd bearing andadapted to receive and engage a rotatable piece to be steadied and to be rotated thereby comprising a-bearing ring, a member in frictional engagement therewith, movable clamping lingers attached to said friction member, actuating members mounted upon said bearing ringv and engaging said clamping lingers, and means for securing the ring is rotated relative to the disks, andV means to impede the rotation of said ring.

4T. A steady rest comprising an annular bearing having a fixed half `and a swinging.

half hinged thereto, a clamping member rotatable in and removable :from said bearing comprising a bearing ring supported by said annular' bearing and adapted to be frictionally engaged thereby to impede its rotation, disks of larger diameter than the bearing ring frictionally clamped against its respective sides and overlapping the respective surfaces of the annular bearing, said disks hav'- ing work receiving openings therethrough, work clamping lingers pivotally connected to and located between said disks, and actuating members upon the bearing ring engaging said clamping ingers. n

5. A` steadyrest comprising, an annular bearing, a two part clamping member rotatable in said bearing and having an opening'to' receive a rotatable piece to be steadied and to be engaged and rotated thereby, means for impeding the rotation of a part of said clamping member, clamping fingers movably mounted on the other part of said clamping member and means for moving said fingers to grip said piece actuated by impedance to annular rotation of said first part of the clamping member.

6. A steady rest Comprising, a clamping member including a bearing ring, disks t'rictionally clamped to the respective sides of said bearing ring and havingwork receiving' openings therethrough, clamping iingers pivotally connected to and bet-Ween said disks, actuating members on the ring and engaging v said clamping fingers and an annular bearing having a fixed halt and a swinging half surrounding said bearing ring and rotatably supporting the same and adapted to frietionally engage said bearing ring to impede its rotation.

7 A steady rest comprising a rotatable two part clamping member having an opening to receive the Work to be steadied and to be engaged and rotated thereby, an annular bearing having a fixed half and a swinging half hinged thereto rotatably supporting said Clamping memberand adapted to frietionally engage the same and impede the rotation of one part thereof, means on the annular bearing to limitthe frictional engagement of said clamping member, and means upon the other part of said clamping member actuated by impedance to the rotation of said iirst part thereof for clamping said Work.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JAMES HOOGERHYDE. 

